Best known for her starring roles in Pitch Perfect, Hairspray, and X, actress Brittany Snow is releasing her first book in May, Mental Health Awareness Month. September Letters: Finding Strength and Connection in Sharing Our Stories is a powerful collection of resources and personal essays, co-written with activist Jaspre Guest. It features the work of mental health professionals alongside letters from celebrities, public figures, and Brittany’s friends. Emotional and honest as well as functional and helpful, the body of work provides a beautiful opportunity for people to feel more connected to others, and in turn, in tune with themselves. A deeply personal and important project to Brittany, its origins came from her own mental health journey. As a teenager, she read an incredibly impactful article that helped her identify what she was struggling with and get the help she needed. With September Letters, she pays this forward.
Mental health awareness is at the forefront of a multitude of Brittany’s projects. She recently made her directorial debut with Parachute, a film she wrote about a girl finding love amidst recovery from an eating disorder, and is the co-founder of the nonprofit Love is Louder with the Jed Foundation and MTV.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Brittany about how her own journey led to September Letters, the importance of connection, and how we can continue to destigmatize mental health.
September Letters is out on 23rd May via Harper Collins. Pre-order here.
Read the interview…
When did you start working on this book and how has it evolved since you first decided to write it?
We first started to write this book in 2021. My partner in September Letters, Jaspre Guest, and I formulated what we wanted the book to be and while I was directing, Jaspre oversaw all the putting the pieces together. Then we got together and really saw it through. We did tons of interviews and gathered countless letters. We wanted it to be a scrapbook of feeling good and a toolbox or helpful information. I grew up with Chicken Soup for the Soul and I was always inspired by how much that book helped people. This book started out as sort of a journal and became what it is now, a tool book and resource.
Your mental health journey started after reading someone else’s story, right? In what ways did that story spark a shift in your mindset and help you heal?
I remember as a teenager, I was at a loss for what was happening to me. I knew I was obsessive about things and had always been a perfectionist since birth but the self-hatred and mechanisms I used to escape my feelings were so strange to other people. No one was talking about those types of things when I was 12 and 13. I remember subscribing to every fitness magazine and there was an article about a woman with depression, anxiety and OCD that manifested into an eating disorder. It was the first time I had some sort of connection to what I was doing. I didn’t even know there was a name for it. I think knowing I wasn’t crazy or alone was a huge part of my healing. It was comforting to know that many other people felt the same way I did and there was something tangible to do about it. I truly believe we all don’t want to feel alone or less than in this world and we want to feel connected to others. That’s the message behind September Letters; by sharing our truth we can bridge that feeling of aloneness to one of overcoming struggles together.
You speak on the importance of connection to oneself and to others. Why is this such an important topic to you and how has it shaped your experiences?
We are not meant to go through things alone. I’m a pretty shy and introverted person, especially when I’m going through something hard. But I know for me, connecting with someone whether it be a friend or even a stranger, helps me feel like I’m one of many and that whatever I’m going through is something others have gone through. That sounds super cheesy but it’s true. There’s a reason that having a community helps immensely with mental health.
What do you hope people will gain from reading September Letters?
I hope someone can read a letter, an interview, or a story and feel better connected and hopeful. I would love it if anyone reading can gather tools and feel like there’s so many various ways to get help. It’s not a one size fits all approach and feeling better can come in many facets. We offer stories of all kinds and different ways that experts and teachers support their own mental health as well. It should be a book you can open up and read a little something to put some pep in your day.
The decision to combine personal stories with resources from mental health experts is so powerful. What was your thought process behind this decision?
I felt it was important to hear from mental health experts about their own journeys. Not just taking their teachings as fact but their advice is coming from their own experiences. I feel connecting us happens on a human level, not just because someone has a bunch of studies done on it. I do think that helps too, but I hope this book can be helpful for anyone. Especially if they don’t want to read facts. Whether it be from a doctor or counselor or someone from the September Letters community, everyone has gone through something.
How did you select collaborators?
We put together a wish list of people Jaspre and I have admired. We wanted a variety of people with different skill sets and ideas. Thankfully, we had a lot of people want to be involved which was so lovely.
As a very honest and personal project, was it difficult for you to work on at times?
Yes, definitely. Mostly because I really don’t like talking about myself. I feel like I’ve done that, been public with my own story and it was hopefully helpful to whomever needed to hear it. It makes me uncomfortable to keep harping on things. But I do know it’s important to share your trajectory since it might help someone else. All our stories are important and if I’m going to talk the talk, I need to walk the walk. Which means if I say being vulnerable is helpful, then I have to believe it myself and be vulnerable.
Do you believe you have to be healed from something in order to write about it? Are these stories reflections of past experiences or discussions of present-day struggles that the writers are going through?
I think you can write at any time. Sometimes just putting your thoughts down on paper is the healing. This book has letters of overcoming struggles but also things that might be happening currently. We have many experts in the book talking about how important the simple act of just writing encapsulates the self-care needed for healing. Just taking a moment to only be with you and your thoughts, can get you through a lot.
Conversations about mental health are still very stigmatised in parts of the world, while oversimplified on social media platforms at the same time. How do you hope this space will evolve?
I think the more conversations we have about our mental health the more accepted it will be to get help. Mental health is not assigned to only one particular type of person in only one part of the world. Everyone has a mind; everyone wants that mind to be healthy. Just as important as physical health, mental health needs to be taken just as seriously. I think it’s been hard that generations and communities would rather have people “push through things” and not complain or not ask for help when there is so much scientific evidence that mental disorders and mental health issues require proper care. I think it’s great that people are talking about it on social media so it is honest and connects us as we navigate our minds. But it shouldn’t be seen as a passing fad, or something watered down. Although tidbits and sound bites can be extremely helpful, there’s sometimes deeper reasons one may be struggling that can’t be solved with just a “be happy” slogan. I do think in time it will become a part of a larger conversation and more widely talked about. I think being a part of communities and opening up to friends is a great step in the process of feeling better.
Can you tell us a bit about your directorial debut with Parachute?
Parachute was something I wrote about 5 years ago now. It was originally called September 17th which is a date that is very important to me. When I was in my early 20s, I was trying to recover and fall in love. I remember having the idea then that the most altruistic form of love is knowing that you actually have to let go of someone to let go of the thing that’s toxic to you. The story is really dear to me but then took on a life of its own as I started shaping and developing it. I directed it last year with an Incredible cast: Courtney Eaton, Thomas Mann, Kid Cudi, Dave Bautista, Gina Rodriguez, Joel McHale and Francesca Reale. We premiered at SXSW, and it went really well. I’m so excited for people to see it. I hope it helps someone.
Will you be writing any more books in the future?
I hope so! I’d really love to.